About The Mass Series Vol 2: Doxology and Great Amen Eucharistic Prayer Part 8

Recently I attended a talk about the Mass in my parish which encouraged us to go deeper.  As I was listening, my mind digressed and I thought about the series I had started some time ago- namely About the Mass series Vol2 which discusses the details of the Mass in detail.  This talk in the parish has given me fresh incentive to complete the series by the end of 2023..

 Let me take up from my posts in 2022.

 

About the Mass Series Vol 2: 

6. ‘Doxology and Great Amen’.

The Eucharistic Prayer comes to a climax as the priest holds up the consecrated host and chalice and proclaims our thanks and praise with the words: 

‘Through Him, with Him, and in Him,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit 

all glory and honour is yours, Almighty Father, 

for ever and ever’.  

To this we respond ‘Amen’ either spoken or sung.

 

Although this doxology text is Trinitarian in nature, it still has a special emphasis on Christ as the mediator.  The doxology summarizes the Eucharistic Prayer, which concludes, as it began, on an explicit note of praise. The Church offers praise and honour to the Father through Christ who is the High Priest, with Christ who is really present and in Christ who gives himself in the Eucharist to us.  The Church at prayer is united to the Holy Spirit. The priest proclaims the Eucharistic prayer in the name of the congregation. We confirm and approve this action by our response of ‘Amen’, the Hebrew word for ‘So be it’; either in song or loud voice.

 Liturgically, it makes sense therefore for the priest to proclaim these words, as this links him in a very real way his ministerial priesthood, as he is the one who is ‘representing Christ the mediator’ in our midst. By our response, we link ourselves to our ‘own baptismal priesthood’.  Both are important and both need to be liturgically respected in the Mass.

Sound liturgical practice therefore, is for the priest to proclaim the doxology and for the congregation to respond enthusiastically ‘Amen’, rather than being spoken by both priest and congregation together. The priest is representing Christ the mediator in our midst and is being linked with Christ’s priesthood.

Our ‘Amen’ (known as the ‘Great Amen’) completes the Eucharistic prayer and liturgically should be sung where possible.   

 Sound musical and liturgical practice for the Great Amen favours either 4 or 8 Amen's when it is harmonized, repeated or augmented, as it is our ‘Amen’ to each of the three persons of the Trinity, and the final one unites us to our fellow parishioners assembled- the faith community gathered.  

Sound liturgical and theological practice indicates the congregation remain kneeling until the Paten and chalice are placed back onto the altar by the priest, rather than the congregation standing up in the middle of the Great Amen especially when it is sung with 8 Amens.

 What an amazing conclusion to the Eucharistic prayer!!        

Although this prayer is used in the context of The Mass, it can be prayed throughout the day to praise God. It can also be a beautiful prayer for meditation.